Expert Services
We provide technical assistance that is tailored to the unique needs and requests in each jurisdiction. This ranges from staffing government task forces, to holding confidential one-on-one meetings, to testifying before legislatures when asked. We also educate the public through speaking engagements, our Pleading the Sixth blog, and sharing what we know about the right to counsel so you can help fix the issue.
Government Technical Assistance
Speaking Engagements
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May 16, 2024
Commission on Indigent Legal Services Sioux Falls, South Dakota
6AC Deputy Director, Aditi Goel, and 6AC Executive Director, David Carroll, present at the first state commission meeting on the state's constitutional obligations and where South Dakota's indigent defense system stands relative to the nation.
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March 18, 2024
Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency, Indigent Defense Advisory Committee Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
6AC Deputy Director, Aditi Goel, and 6AC Executive Director, David Carroll, present on state versus county obligations under the 6th Amendment and offer technical assistance on models for the dissemination of state indigent defense funding to local government.
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February 29, 2024
Ohio Indigent Defense System Task Force Columbus, Ohio
6AC Executive Director, David Carroll, and Deputy Director, Aditi Goel, present on the recommendations of the Ohio State Bar and on state versus county obligations under the 6th Amendment.
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January 3, 2024
New Hampshire Judicial Branch Nashua, New Hampshire
Deputy Director Aditi Goel presents to the New Hampshire judicial branch on the history of the right to counsel in America, and the court’s role in ensuring the right to counsel.
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December 7, 2023
Oregon Public Defense Commission Salem, Oregon – by videoconference
Executive Director David Carroll and Deputy Director Jon Mosher present to the commission members of the newly created commission’s dual constitutional roles: protecting the defender system’s independence, and ensuring structural accountability through setting and enforcing minimum standards.
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October 12, 2023
Mississippi Legislature, House Judiciary B Committee Jackson, Mississippi
Executive Director David Carroll leads off the first-ever legislative hearing about the current state of indigent defense services in Mississippi. Carroll presented the findings and recommendations from 6AC’s evaluation of Mississippi. Other participants: Andre de Gruy, State Public Defender; Hon. Prentiss Harrell, 15th Circuit Court; and Hon. Justice James Kitchens, Mississippi Supreme Court.
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June 7, 2024
Indiana Public Defender Council Carmel, Indiana
Senior Program Associate Jiacheng Yu presents at the Indiana Public Defender Council’s Annual Update conference on 6AC's 2016 evaluation of Indiana and the state of the right to counsel.
March 18, 2024
Duke University School of Law Durham, North Carolina
Senior Program Associate Lacey Coppage speaks on a panel to celebrate Gideon Day and discuss the state of indigent defense.
October 19, 2023
Guam Symposium: “Gideon @ 60” Hagåtña, Guam
Participants: 6AC's David Carroll, former Chief Justice and current Justice, Hon. F. Phillip Carbullido; Speaker of the House, Rep. Theresa Terlaje; Governor’s Legal Counsel, Jeffrey Moots; and former lawyer from the Public Defender Service of the District of Columbia, Jason Downs.
September 29, 2023
Snohomish County Public Defender Association Everett, Washington
Executive Director David Carroll and Senior Program Associate Lacey Coppage present the history of the right to counsel in Washington and how Washington’s indigent defense services compare to other states.
September 8, 2023
Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) Council on Public Defense Seattle, Washington
Executive Director David Carroll and Senior Program Associate Lacey Coppage present on the history of the right to counsel in Washington and how Washington’s indigent defense services compare to other states.
March 23, 2023
Harris County, Celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Gideon v. Wainwright Houston, Texas - by videoconference
Executive Director David Carroll participates in a panel discussion to talk about indigent defense reform. Other panelists include: Alex Bunin, Chief Public Defender in Harris County; The Honorable Judge Keith P. Ellison, Southern District of Texas; Allison Mathis, Supervising Attorney for Neighborhood Defender Services; and Brandon Ball, Harris County Public Defender Office.
Support Our Work
Criminal justice issues that disproportionately harm poor people, such as wrongful convictions and over-incarceration, cannot be fixed if indigent defendants are given attorneys who do not have the time, resources, or qualifications, to be a constitutional check on government. Yet, investment in improving indigent defense services remains largely neglected. The Sixth Amendment Center is the only nonprofit organization in the country that exclusively examines, uncovers, and helps fix the root of the indigent defense crisis in which inequality is perpetuated because poor defendants do not get a fair fight.
The Sixth Amendment Center is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization under EIN: 45-3477185.
Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable under the law.
